Chapter 1, "The beginning of The End."
"There once was a crooked pony...and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence...upon a crooked stile
He bought a crooked cat...which caught a crooked mouse
And they all lived together...in a crooked house."
It was a beautiful day. The bright, orange sun shown proudly over the few clouds that lingered in the sky. It was cool, and there was a nice, constant breeze gently twirling leaves around and slightly rustling the trees. It wasn't to cold, but cool enough for Lightning to wear his favorite blue hoodie. Lightning finished soaking in the beauty of the day and heaved the last heavy box out of the carriage. It had been four years since Lightning had escaped Concorde facilities with his best friend, Storm Flare. They were both used as test subjects until they had escaped, and even then were faced with many challenges when they arrived at Ponyville. It was just now, that he was finally settling down with his girlfriend in their new cottage, that lightly brushed the outskirts of Ponyville. It was also very cheap, so it was a great deal. Lightning opened the door to his new home and climbed the stairs towards his room. Lightning would still be living in the old cottage with his girlfriend, but the last encounter he had with someone who wasn't to fond of Lightning burned down the place. Of course, he easily dealt with the pony, but the living arrangement was a bit of a problem. Luckily though, Lightning's job as a musician payed him enough to buy this cozy little getaway. Lightning walked into the room he and his girlfriend would be sharing, and set the box down on the bed. Fluttershy walked into the room, observing the work Lightning had done. She smiled to herself, happy on how she and Lightning would be living together here.
"That all the boxes?" She said, looking around the room some more. It was quite a big, blue room, with Lightning's big bookshelf and writing desk on the left side, their king size bed in the middle, and Fluttershy's garden tools and wardrobe on the right. Lightning sighed in relief. He looked around the room, liking how he arranged the whole place. It wasn't the biggest room, but he had finally gotten the monster sized TV in the room, so he wouldn't have to sneak downstairs to watch TV at night. There was a guest room upstairs, along with another bathroom and a storage closet. Downstairs included a huge kitchen and dining room, big open living room and Lightning's garage, which he used as a workshop to make weapons, tune up guitars or just anything else that Fluttershy would prefer Lightning did outside.
"Yup. That just about covers it I think." Lightning said, offering her a smile. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss to show her gratitude for the help. Lightning smiled, and kissed her back.
"Oh, hey, I was thinking...since we pretty much have the kitchen and dining room unpacked, I wanted to invite Storm and Rainbowdash over for dinner." Lightning wasn't totally pumped about inviting them over since he just wanted some rest, but Storm was his best friend and he had been bugging Lightning to let him come over and check out the place. Fluttershy also hadn't seen her friend Rainbowdash in a while too, so it worked out for both of them. Storm and Lightning still hung out, but they didn't go on anymore crazy 'adventures', so that drove the two apart a little bit. But not much.
"Oh sure! That sounds wonderful! I'll get started on dinner right away!" Fluttershy said happily, rushing downstairs to prepare dinner. Lightning smiled, lying down on the bed. It was good to have a normal life...He pulled out his phone after lying down for a bit to contact Storm. He dialed Storm's number, and listened to the ring. He heard a familiar voice on the other side pick up.
"Hello?" Storm said. He sounded somewhat tired, as if he'd been sleeping in all day. In fact, it's probably what he'd been doing.
"Hey, what's up mate. I'm gonna make this quick 'cause Fluttershy's already working on dinner, but I was wondering if you and Rainbowdash wanna come over for dinner. Ya know...check out the place and stuff." Lightning said, already knowing Storms sure response.
"Well, it's about time man! Sure, we'll be over there in like...twenty minutes. Sound good?" Storm said, sounding a little more up then before. He was excited to see Lightning's new place.
"Sure. See ya mate." Lightning said, hanging up the phone. It would be nice to have his friend over again.
Kinda like old times...he thought. twenty minutes later, and some work in the kitchen, Storm and Rainbowdash had arrived and dinner was ready. Everyone went through the motions of greeting each other, then sitting down to enjoy Fluttershy's delicious dinner. It was a good reunion, as jokes were made and catching up was done. At one point, Storm excused himself to the bathroom and Fluttershy and Rainbowdash had some "girl talk" which was basically them talking about their boyfriends and music and makeup and other things of the like. Lightning tried to pretend he didn't notice their hushed whispers, but he couldn't help but blush at certain things Fluttershy would say. Soon enough, Storm returned, and him and Rainbowdash finished their meals. After some nice side conversation, kind remarks about the new house and kind wishes for Lightning, the two departed, wishing Lightning and Fluttershy a good night. The night blew past Lightning, but it was nice to see his friends again. Before Lightning knew it, night had already come, and he was pretty tired.
"So, did you like seeing Storm again?" Fluttershy said, changing into her nightgown.
"Yeah I guess. Glad to see he's doing well." Lightning replied. Fluttershy didn't get Lightning's usually cheery response, and wondered if something was wrong.
"You OK?" She said, hugging him from behind.
"Yeah...just kinda tired. Long day ya know?" Lightning said. Fluttershy's display of affection gave him more of a happy feeling. Fluttershy thought it would be better just to let him sleep whatever was bugging him off.
"Alright. Well, I'm going to bed. Come up when you're ready" Fluttershy said. Lightning kissed her goodnight, and with that, she was off to bed. But, the truth was, Lightning wasn't totally alright. Tonight was the anniversary when he learned the truth about his parents. He remembered his mom...it had been a while since he visited her, and the fact that his mother had amnesia, and couldn't even remember Lightning didn't encourage him to visit. No one really blamed him though. It was hard seeing someone you love not even know who you are. He remembered every detail now...of how he found his parents. He remembered how he found his dad... His dad was part of the Concorde cyber initiative, and was one of the cyborgs designed to kill Lightning. Lightning was ...forced to kill him. But, Lightning didn't know who he was until he had brutally slaughtered him. He still felt guilty, but everyone always told him there was nothing Lightning could do. It was depressing for him to be left alone again that day. He let out a sigh. He felt guilty not visiting his mom so often...but no one could really blame him. It was hard on him. But, luckily that was mostly behind him. Yet...he still felt guilty towards his mother...and he couldn't figure out why. It's not like he caused the amnesia. No...this wasn't Lightning's fault at all. He was just a normal pony, and he just wanted a normal life. He shook off whatever feelings he had, said a small prayer for his father then stood up from the oak dining table, ready to head off for bed. Still though...he couldn't shake a certain feeling. Like the feeling you get when your alone at night in a big house. No, not the fear of dying, but the fear of being alone. Deserted. It was eerie to say the least. He started for the stairs, when his phone rang, giving him a small start. He eyed the clock.
"Hm...12 in the morning? Who could be calling at this hour?" Lightning said. He was going to be annoyed if it was Storm calling about something stupid. He reluctantly answered his phone without checking the number. He never really did, since most of the people who needed Lightning just stopped by his house. So, only Storm, Rainbowdash and Fluttershy are the only ones who called a lot. Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle Octavia and Vinyl Scratch also called sometimes to check up on Lightning and Fluttershy, or to see if Lightning was interested in writing/performing another song sometime.
"H-hello?" Lightning said. He listened intently; but no response came. It wasn't like the stereotypical horror movie where someone was breathing on the end. It felt entirely...different. Sinister almost, as if whatever was on the other line was watching Lightning, stalking him. Tormenting him, even though it was probably just a wrong number. This was the first time Lightning had genuinely felt fear. That's something a lot of ponies can't say. Sure, we've all seen the screamers or jump scares on the ponynet, but it's rare when you find somepony who can describe legitimate fear. It's when you know for an almost certain fact that your life may be in danger, and it's so overwhelming that you can barely move. It's like the grip of the devil himself. This, is what Lightning was feeling. He couldn't move, and it was just a silly phone call. He told this over and over to himself until the other line disconnected. He felt a great weight lift from him. He breathed out the feeling of dread, and headed for the stairs. He quickly ascended them, not feeling in the best of moods to be stuck in the dark. He quietly slipped into the bed next to Fluttershy, letting sleep wash away any bad feelings he had.
3 hours later...
Lightning woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He looked at the clock.
"3 am...again..." Lightning said to himself, slowing his breathing. This was the third time he had woken at this time during this week. It started happening ever since he had started looking at the house, but he doubted it had any correlation. In fact, it really didn't. He sat up for a minute, trying to recall what might have woken him up. He listened intently, until he heard it. It sounded like soft weeping, which was odd since their new house was barely on the outskirts of Ponyville, and they only had one neighbor. Now, Lightning was a nice guy, but he wasn't in the best mood, and really needed the sleep, so he decided it would be best for him to politely ask the neighbors to keep it down. He looked out the window, seeing the bright moon shine bright. It actually was a nice night...He threw on some plain clothes, and readied himself for his mini "escapade". He quietly went down the stairs, trying not to wake Fluttershy. He tried hurrying past any doors he left open, as that eerie feeling was still with him. He opened the door leading to the front lawn, and shut it as quiet as he could. It was a rather cold night, and the moon shined bright above. It was a quiet night though. It was weird, hearing nothing but the weeping. No crickets, no birds, no nothing. Just plain silence, as if everyone in the town had simply vanished. He nervously walked up the gravel road to his neighbor's house. The house was rather big. Lightning guessed it was a three story house, so someone wealthy probably lived in it. He decided it would be wide to not piss them off then... He approached a massive oak wood door, and knocked rather lightly on it. A meek voice replied.
"Yes?" It said. It sounded female, and not at all like the voice that had been weeping.
"Um...Hello. I hate to wake you at this hour but...It's silly. I'm hearing something that sounds kinda like crying, and I thought it was coming from here." Lightning replied nervously.
"Er..no. I've been asleep since nine, so I'm afraid you have the wrong person." The tired sounding pony said. He could hear the pony hurry up the stairs back to their slumber.
"Must be imagining it..." Lightning said to himself, hurrying back to his home. He didn't want Fluttershy to worry about him. He walked through the quiet countryside, observing the surrounding scenery to take his mind off that creepy feeling he still had in the pit of his gut. He finally reached his house, and got up the stairs as fast as he could. He took off his shirt, and was about to flop onto the bed he and Fluttershy, when he heard yet ANOTHER sound. Except, this time it was a lot lighter sounding...like a drip drip sort of thing.
"Ugh...not this shit again." An irritated Lightning said. The pony who sold him this place had warned him of leaky faucets, and Lightning was sure that's what it was. He walked over to the bathroom ,and as expected, saw the faucet steadily dripping water. Lightning angrily tightened the head of the water faucet, not wanting to lose anymore sleep.
"Stupid faucet.." Lightning grumbled to himself. He switched it on then off again, making sure that the leak was indeed fixed. Before heading off to bed, he examined himself in the mirror as he usually did. He looked at his red mane with the black streak in it, his emerald green eyes and his white coat. He turned around, when something came to him. He had...seen something in the corner of the mirror, and it was just now processing in his mind. He turned around, and slowly examined the mirror. Sure enough, after close examination, in the bottom right corner, written in what seemed to be toothpaste said, "UnDEr tHe BEd.."
"Wh-what the?" Lightning said, confused. Was it Storm playing a joke on him? Whatever the case, he was to tired for this. He wiped it off with a sheet of toilet paper, and happily slid into bed next to Fluttershy. He tried to lull himself to sleep--but he couldn't. He sat up, thinking about the phrase on the mirror.
Under the bed....
"What the hell does that mean.."Lightning said to himself. Five minutes of suspense, and the curiosity had finally took Lightning. He reached under the bed...and he felt it. He was a little disappointed, but it was still under the bed. The mirror had not lied. It was a simple piece of paper, written in simple, black pen. Lightning scanned it, and found it a little odd...It was a nursery rhyme.
"There once was a crooked pony...and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence...upon a crooked stile
He bought a crooked cat...which caught a crooked mouse
And they all lived together...in a crooked house."
"Huh? Isn't this a mother goose rhyme? Did the former owner leave this?" Lightning thought to himself. He found it kind of odd, but shrugged it off. It was four in the morning, and didn't have time for whatever this was. He finally drifted off to slumber, leaving this night of odd events in the past.
Morning approaches...
Lightning woke up the way he loved to: Fluttershy making Lightning his favorite tea. He threw on his black pants, red shirt and blue hoodie, then headed downstairs to accompany Fluttershy for breakfast. The place smelled of biscuits and tea, and the overall sense of the place was much more inviting then it had been last night. He had pretty much forgotten about last night, pushing it aside as a bad dream.
"So, you feeling better now, Lightning?" Fluttershy said, hoping that the bad mood he was in last night had retreated.
"Yeah..guess so. Thanks for trying to help. It's nothing you did, so don't worry about it." Lightning said, not wanting to talk about it. It wasn't the strange thing he found last night, but it was something--a little more simpler in a way. It was his mother...he was planning on visiting her today, and that was really troubling, so he didn't want to think about it. It was beginning to ruin his good mood too.
"Oh-alright then. Were still on for ice skating tonight, right?" Fluttershy said, hoping this would help his mind off whatever was troubling him. Lightning took a sip of tea before responding.
"Of course mate. But...um...I'm planning to visit my mother today..." Lightning said nervously. His mother was a topic that made them both depressed. Fluttershy froze still for a second.
"Oh, Lightning..." She said, hugging him tightly. He sat there solemnly, not feeling like saying much. He knew Fluttershy would rather him not see his mother, as it usually resulted in him not talking for days, alone in his thoughts. But, his mind was made up. He stood up suddenly,
"I'm gonna go get my shoes on...then I'm gonna leave for the hospital. I'll be back soon, OK?" Lightning said, hugging her quickly.
"...ok..." Fluttershy said quietly. She tried holding back some of her tears, hugging Lightning back. He left the room, walking at a brisk pace. He proceeded to slip on his black and gray vans, then walk out the big oak door.
"I hope he'll be alright..." She said, truly wishing for Lightning's well being.
Lightning walked down the deserted country road, following the path to the main part of Ponyville. His head was down, and his hands were in his pockets. It wasn't a very pleasant experience for Lightning to visit his mother in the hospital. Her amnesia was only getting worse, and Lightning hated not being remembered by the only family member that he had left. Rain started pouring now, fitting Lightning's mood. He finally reached his undesired detestation, pushing open the front door. A cold blast of wind blew onto Lightning, and he was greeted by soft elevator music, blasting through the entire hospital. The place made him nauseous, but he continued his trek, making his way to the old gray reception desk. The young receptionist didn't notice Lightning, so he had to announce his presence verbally---twice. Finally, on the third try...
"Um...Hello? My names Lightning Chaser and I believe-" Lightning was cut short. The receptionist looked up with a sad look in her face.
"Room 305 from the left of here. She's....been waiting for you." The receptionist said. Her gaze lingered with Lightning, even as he started to leave to his new destination. It made Lightning feel even more uncomfortable, and the butterflies in his stomach had well turned into giant mutated moths at this point. He wasn't sure what to expect when he saw her...he didn't even know if she was alive. After about five minutes of walking, he saw the room ahead. Doctors swarmed the outside of the room, talking and using terms in ways Lightning couldn't understand. They were obstructing the way into the room, so Lightning would also have to converse with them before gaining access to the room.
"Um...excuse me...hello? My names Lightning Chaser an-" Lightning was cut short mid sentence, again.
"Come with me. She won't stop saying your name." A violet pony in a lab coat said, grabbing Lightning by the wrist, and leading him into the barren room. There really was barley anything that furnished the room, save for the nightstand next to a big bed with monitors and IV's and all kind of medical stuff.
"She's in a fragile state. Be gentle with her." The doctor said, leaving the room. Lightning took a closer look at the bed, and saw his mother. He let out a short gasp. She was thin, and pale and her mane was all gray. Her eyes were sunken in, with dark, heavy bags under them. Needles punctured her skin almost everywhere, pumping fluids or taking blood. Wires and patches were attached to her chest, and her chest barley moved up and down. It was hard for him to see her in this state, but she was still alive. Lightning got closer, and knelt down beside her.
"M-mom?" Lightning said, gently shaking her awake. She rotated her head as far as she could, and spoke in a dry, cracked voice.
"Who-who are you?" She said. Lightning's heart sank, She didn't remember her only son.
"Mom...it's me, your son, Lightning Chaser, remember?" Lightning asked, taking her hand in his.
"I don't have a son...now seriously...w-who are you?" She said, pulling her hand back. Lightning's heart started feeling heavy.
"Mom, it's me. Please...remember. You...gave me this necklace when I was a baby." Lightning said, giving her the necklace, hoping to spark a memory.
"This was mine...how did you get this? Who are you? DOCTORS! I DON'T KNOW THIS PERSON! HELP!" she suddenly screamed. Lightning's eyes started to fill with tears as the doctors came in.
"Mom...please...it's me..." Lightning said, tear drops falling to the floor. The doctors came in, grabbing Lightning and dragging him away.
"GOD DAMN IT MOM! WHY WONT YOU FUCKING REMEMBER?!?!" Lightning screamed as the doctors dragged him out, more tears falling to the floor. They got him out of the room, and tried to talk to him.
"Son, you have to remember her state-" He aid, putting his hand on Lightning.
"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME!" Lightning yelled, running away. The doctors tried to come after him, to calm him down, but Lightning was too fast. He ran put the door, passed Twilight sparkles library, passed the town hall, and generally passed everything. He just ran, denying that his only family didn't know who he was. He ran into his house and ran upstairs without even saying hello to Fluttershy. She knew something like this would happen, and talking to him didn't usually help. No one else had lost family besides Storm, so no one could really relate to Lightning, He threw himself on the bed, mind flooding with memories. He rejected them, trying to forget them. He got a headache that progressively got worse and worse, until Lightning eventually blacked out. He lost all track of time, and was just...there. Blacked out. Fluttershy eventually found him, and threw a blanket on him, then climbed into bed with him. Some rest would do Lightning good in his state, and Fluttershy didn't want him to sleep alone. She eventually fell asleep, and both slept comfortably for a while. Lightning's psychosis was floating back down to earth. He was recovering...
Time passes...
Lightning shot up again. He looked at the clock. 3AM it read. Lightning was annoyed at this point. He just wanted some rest. He listened closely to see if he could hear the weeping that had awaken him last time. He didn't hear weeping, but he did hear something. Something in his house. He walked around, searching for the sound he had heard. It was still going, and was very steady. It resembled the sound of someone talking. Following his ear brought him to the guest room. It was rather dark, so if someone was here, he wouldn't be able to make them out. He gave a meek
"Hello?" and waited for the noise to stop. Much to his surprise though, it didn't. Then, it hit him. He darted for the closet and opened it, revealing the source of the sound. Lightning's old FM radio had been turned on, and some disk jockey was on, talking about retaliation or something. It wasn't something he was to interested in, so he just turned it off, hoping to get straight back to bed, but something caught his eye. His mothers mahogany dresser drawer was open, and he usually kept it closed. He went over to it and was about to close it, when he saw a piece of paper in it.
"Huh...strange" Lightning said to himself. Usually he left the drawers closed, so this was odd. He took out the paper, and quickly read it. It read:
Our special place-
2578 Leafridge ave.
The heck? Lightning thought to himself. This was starting to get odd. He quickly folded the paper back up. He decided that he would ask Twilight for information tomorrow. As for now, he was too tired and broken to care. Downtrodden, he walked over to his room to slip back into bed with Fluttershy. He opened the door, then let his eyes adjust to the dim light in the corner of the room that was his lamp. He thought something was off...then he saw it. Written in big, blood red letters on the wall was
I WiLl bE WaITiNG For YOu...
all across the wall. Lightning let out a small gasp, and staggered backwards.
"W-what the hell!?" lightning said. Suddenly, his head felt like it had been pierced with an ice pick. He grabbed his head, waiting for the pain to stop. He stumbled out of the room, heading down stairs for some painkillers. He ravaged the cabinets, then, grabbing the bottle to the best of his abilities, grabbed some pills and swallowed them whole. The pain started to receded, and he turned to the stairs, ready to try and recover as he went up them. But his plans fell short. He found himself looking at a being so horrifying, that he was frozen in place. It had a black sports coat on, the shoulders sprinkled with caked on blood spots. underneath was a green shirt, many holes and tears in it. On the bottom, it had blue jeans riddled with holes, some blood drops also visible. It had plain, black shoes and pale, brown fur. But, the most horrifying thing was it's neck/head. Its neck was crooked...to crooked, so far that the top of the head touched it's shoulder. It had a plastered on, bloody grin. Its teeth sharp as tiny knives and black as coal. Where its eyes once were, were to empty sockets. Lightning couldn't even scream. The thing took a step forward, one leg limping behind it. Lightning finally mustered up some courage and said, with as much force as he could,
"who...who are you?" but, it came out in a meek, harsh whisper. Lightning's throat had gone totally dry, and cold sweat accumulated on his forehead.
"Im YoU.." It said, not even moving its crooked grin. Lightning shook his head furiously.
"No...no...you're....you're a monster." Lightning said, backing up even more.
"EXacTLy" It said, laughing menacingly. It laughed and laughed, approaching Lightning even more. Lightning's back was pressed against the wall. It finally caught him. It gripped Lightning firmly by the arm, and brought its head right up to Lightning's face. It whispered this time.
"I'm.......WaITing foR YoU...." It said. Lightning's head whirled, and he finally couldn't take anymore. He fell down, hitting his head on the cabinet, rendering him unconscious. He fell face flat on the floor, blood pooling round him. The monster laughed, then dissipated. The paper rest in Lightning's front pocket. He wouldn't remember all of tonight....but he would remember enough.
